Man erred in reporting 5-year-old son missing

It started with a harrowing phone call to Canton police after a 24-year-old father claimed his son was missing.

Turns out he had forgotten he asked a friend to care for the boy while he was inside the Home Depot store on Michigan Avenue in Canton, a police report said.

That’s how the story unfolded about 7 p.m. June 17 when police went to the store. A police report indicated the father was “acting odd” and that a knife fell out of his pocket when he went to look for his cellphone.

Police also learned the man had a prescription pill used to treat anxiety, bipolar disorder and panic disorder.

He initially told police he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen his son. He said a friend had dropped them off at the store.

He called the friend, however, and learned the child was with him. The friend was at a nearby restaurant with the boy. The report said the friend had taken the boy with him for misbehaving in the store.

The father told police he hadn’t used drugs since he smoked marijuana earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, he had contacted other relatives who showed up at Home Depot store in a panic, fearing the little boy was missing. A short time later, the friend returned to the scene with the child in tow.

The father was ticketed for child neglect and possession of dangerous drugs. The report said the state’s Child Protective Services already had begun an investigation.

Facebook flap

Ordered by a court not to have contact with his ex-girlfriend, a 67-year-old Canton man notified police to report that she has been trying to become friends with him on Facebook.

The woman, however, told police she hadn’t made the request and that her Facebook account had been hacked.

The man told police he had been arrested in the past for harassing communications involving the 54-year-old woman. He said one of the conditions of his bond is to avoid the ex-girlfriend.

Police contacted the woman on the man’s behalf to ask her not to send friend requests through Facebook. That’s when she denied any involvement.

Police advised the man to notify authorities if any further action occurs.

Knife pulled

A Canton teen was accused of getting a steak knife during an argument with her mother inside a residence on Marine, in the Academy/West Point mobile home park on Canton’s southeast side.

However, the mother told police her daughter never threatened her with it.

The incident unfolded about 12:40 a.m. Monday after the mother told her 19-year-old daughter that she wanted her out of the house. A police report indicated the two have had problems.

The daughter notified police that her mother had slapped her and punched her. The mother denied the accusation and told police she pushed her daughter when she got too close to her during an argument.

That’s when the mother said the daughter got the steak knife. The report indicated the teen later left the residence.

iPhone swiped

Never leave a purse unattended while climbing on a carnival ride.

A 20-year-old Canton woman learned the hard way Saturday night when she set her purse down before getting on the Fireball ride at Liberty Fest.

She told police that, after she got off the ride, her iPhone was missing from her purse, though nothing else appeared to have been taken.

She later used a Find my iPhone app and learned that her phone was apparently in Bay City, about 110 miles away.

A Canton police report indicated Bay City authorities would be checking an address where the iPhone was supposedly located.

Ailing father

A Livonia man told police he has become concerned whether his 75-year-old father is able to take care of himself at home.

The man notified police and asked for a well-being check until he can remedy the situation.

Police received a call about 1 p.m. Saturday reporting poor living conditions inside a home on Chadwick, near Hanford and Canton Center. The son said he found food and dishes strewn on counter tops and possible feces on the kitchen floor.

The son said his father suffers from health conditions including hypertension and congestive heart failure. He said he also fears his father isn’t taking his medication.

A police report indicated the son was figuring out a solution for his father.